Perhaps it is something that must be done, yet one should at least never become numb to it.

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Moon Jinguji was the first among the boys to wake up. When he returned to the room the previous night, the boys had already finished their pillow fight and were gathered together, discussing the girls they liked.

After Moon entered, their voices noticeably dropped, as though they were deliberately shutting him out and did not want him to hear.

Without a word, Moon dragged his bedding to a corner near the balcony, put on earplugs and an eye mask, turned over, and fell asleep with his back to them.

At eight-thirty in the morning, everyone gathered in the inn’s dining hall for breakfast. From the girls of Class B next door came the sudden rumor that someone had seen a person inside the inn who looked very much like Teacher Aoyama.

It probably would not be long before the matter was confirmed. Moon had already begun wondering what sort of treatment he would receive.

Just kidding.

Today’s destination was the Golden Pavilion. Sitting on the bus, Moon listlessly curled up in the back seat. Perhaps he was simply being too sensitive, but he felt as though the way everyone looked at him had returned to how it used to be.

He had merely become student council president, yet he seemed to have grown conceited, almost forgetting why the students and teachers had hated him in the first place.

When he thought of the woman who called herself a seventeen-year-old adult, a peculiar irritation rose within him.

It was not because the past had been brought up again. Rather, that female teacher had finally managed to escape that place of sorrow, and now faced the risk of having her wounds torn open once more.

That was harder for Moon to accept than anything else.

The boy had never claimed to be a champion of justice. But if it was at all possible, he wanted to avoid hurting one woman after another.

He closed his eyes. Memories of her surged through his thoughts like a rushing current cascading from above, striking him again and again.

…

…

“Sorry to intrude.”

The boy greeted her with a smile. The woman who opened the door was wearing loose-fitting loungewear, looking completely different from the impression she gave at school.

She took a pair of unopened slippers from the cabinet, crouched down, and placed them in front of Moon.

As he removed his shoes, he thanked her and looked around.

“Wow… So this is Teacher Aoyama’s home. It’s a little different from what I imagined.

“I thought Teacher Aoyama would be the sort of urban career woman who lived in a luxury apartment and spent her weekends either at cafés or at an upscale gym that cost fifty thousand yen a month.”

“What sort of expectations do you have for female teachers? How could anything like that possibly be true?” Aoi Aoyama cast the boy an exasperated look.

She lived in a perfectly ordinary one-bedroom apartment. It was not large, but it was exceptionally tidy, which matched the impression she gave people.

Today was Saturday, a rare weekend break, and yet hers had begun with secretly meeting one of her students. It was a turn of events she had never once imagined.

Moon lifted the plastic bag in his hand.

“I bought some snacks and ingredients.”

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“How thoughtful of you.”

Little by little, Aoi had come to understand the true nature of this boy. Being nothing more than a studious honor student was merely an act.

He did not even appear to work particularly hard. The only reason he ranked first in his year every time was because he relied entirely on his talent.

If she could return to the past, Aoi would never again say something as mortifying as, “I like hardworking Moon Jinguji.”

Just remembering it made her feel like a fool. She had been completely deceived by his disguise as a model student.

“Teacher, please make yourself comfortable. Sit wherever you like.”

“…”

When she saw the boy sit down before the coffee table in the living room, a strange feeling rose in Aoi’s heart. She sat down opposite him as well. Moon smiled and tried to strike up a conversation, but she did not respond in the slightest.

“Teacher Aoyama, have you been a little too cold toward me lately?”

“You’re simply being far too enthusiastic toward your teacher.”

“What can I say? I like you, Teacher Aoyama.”

“You! Don’t say things like that with such a straight face!”

Moon revealed an elegant smile capable of bewildering women. Aoi immediately turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Let me make this clear first. I already have a boyfriend.”

“Really?”

“Hmph!”

Although she had made her point rather blatantly, thanks to the system’s investigation, Moon knew everything there was to know about Aoi’s personal information. He understood that her statement was only half true.

“That’s all right. I can wait until you break up with him.”

“Hey!”

“Hahaha, I’m only joking.”

Seeing the boy’s carefree grin, Aoi let out a soft sigh and looked at Moon helplessly.

“Weren’t you supposed to study? Hurry up and get your books out.”

“It’s fine. I already finished studying at home beforehand.”

“Then what’s the point of coming to me for lessons? I wanted to sleep in on the weekend too!”

“Then you can keep sleeping. I’ll wait in the living room.”

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“???”

Aoi could see it now. This student of hers was far more shameless than she had imagined.

After being possessed by the system for two years, Moon Jinguji was no longer the pathetic virgin he had once been.

With a gentle and timid woman like Aoi, approaching her under the guise of an ordinary model student would mean that she would forever place herself in the position of a teacher when speaking with him.

The greatest obstacles between them were the gap in their ages and the difference in their social positions. To overcome those barriers, Moon needed to create a persona capable of breaking through them.

In the face of the weakness hidden within her character, a forceful approach could quickly close the physical distance between them.

A sharp mind, meanwhile, was the key to narrowing the distance between their hearts.

At the same time, the double-edged sword of being her “student” could become a powerful weapon if wielded properly. Its greatest advantage was that it made her unable to refuse his requests.

He was her student. When a student was troubled and sought help from a teacher, it was only natural.

By making use of every circumstance that favored him, he created advantages for himself and steadily deepened their feelings until they were bound together in a single rush.

Up to now, Moon Jinguji had relied on precisely these methods, deceiving one woman after another.

“Listen, Moon Jinguji. I hate boys who don’t know where to draw the line.” She tried to adopt a slightly stern tone, hoping to make the student before her retreat.

“I understand that perfectly. But I also hope you’ll understand that boys my age have a hard time hiding what they feel. When we’re facing someone we like, our feelings will show themselves no matter what.

“You’re beautiful and kind, Teacher. No one has ever treated me kindly before, so I fell for someone as gentle as you.

“Tell me, Teacher Aoyama…

“Does the way I feel about you not count as genuine love?”

Perfect lines. Perfect acting. A perfect performance of a student harboring romantic feelings for his teacher, deliberately adopting a frivolous attitude to conceal the sincerity and anguish in his heart.

He created the sensitive impression of a boy who acted carefree on purpose, when in reality he was merely hiding his inner confusion.

In only two years, the system had twisted an utterly ordinary boy into someone like this. It was a truly sad thing.

But he had no choice.

Thanks to Idle Birds and Idle Flowers for the generous tip.

End of Chapter

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